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Ultima IX Nitpicks - Skara Brae
Here you’ll find inaccuracies in Skara Brae, the Great Stygian Abyss, and the Isle of the Avatar in Ultima IX. Ignorance of predecessors Dupre's resurrection Dupre rises from the dead because the Shrines of Virtue are cleansed. However, Dupre was already dead before the Columns appeared in Britannia, which means that he died while the 8 Shrines weren't corrupted. Why then does he rise from the dead when they have been cleansed? Also, how did Dupre’s soul get back into his body? It was burnt years ago in the Monitorian Crematory. Serpent of Chaos Dupre’s resurrection will have serious consequences for the universe. After all, it was his soul in Serpent Isle that was united with the Serpent of Chaos in order to restore Balance and save Serpent Isle and Britannia, too, from destruction. The Avatar's ankh Since Ultima IV, the Avatar always took a small ankh with him when going to Britannia - just this time he didn’t, although he would actually need it now... Lord British vs. Blackthorn When Lord British kills Blackthorn, he seems to have real fun; he almost enjoys it! Can this be the same man who had mercy with the once noble Blackthorn at the end of Ultima V because Blackthorn had only been made evil by the Shadowlords, and thus sent him into exile instead of executing him? Altered lens functionality In Ultima VI, the lenses were used to look into the Ethereal Void to be able to read the Codex. In Ultima IX, it seems that the Codex always stayed in Britannia, and the lenses are suddenly used to decipher it. Lens inversion The Codex lenses are used the wrong way round in Ultima IX. The blue one should be to the left, and the red one to the right. Shrine of Spirituality Actually, you should already be allowed to enter the Shrine of Spirituality after the first moongate works again. In former times, to be precise, you reached the Shrine of Spirituality by walking through any moongate at a certain time. Pyros The summoning of Pyros is strange - What do the Titans of Pagan suddenly have to do with Britannia? And the Abyss is supposed to be the home of Pyros? In the manual of Ultima VIII, the Titans’ origins were described completely differently. Also, where does that odd pentagram in the middle of the Isle of the Avatar come from? There was no pentagram there in former Ultimas. If a Titan simply had to be implemented in the story in some way, then Lithos, the Earth Titan, would have been the better choice for the “Abyss in midst of Earth”, right? Titan of Ether Alright, so a Titan is needed to open the Abyss... But the Avatar is a Titan, isn’t he? At the end of Ultima VIII, he became the Titan of Ether. Malchir's death The Avatar killed Malchir in combat when the Avatar walked into his sanctum uninvited and certainly didn’t cause Pyros to kill him. While that trick is possible in Ultima VIII, it continues with Pyros immediately destroying the world, and the Avatar with it. Well of Souls The Well of Souls was destroyed in Ultima VII. Summoning Pyros The Avatar participated in the ritual of summoning Pyros in Ultima VIII. Why then must he talk to Malchir’s spirit to summon Pyros again? The Ferryman The Ferryman controlled the traffic between Skara Brae and the mainland in Ultima VII. He said he would be bound to Britannia until the end of time, couldn’t be destroyed, and would never find salvation. Magic duel Why does Blackthorn actually carry out a magic duel against Lord British? He should know that Lord British’s Crown protects from spells (see Ultima V)! Well, of course, it’s still not clear if it’s still the same crown as before... Horance and Caine Where are Horance and Caine? In Ultima VII, the two remained in Skara Brae after the destruction of the Well of Souls and most likely could have survived the Guardian’s fire wave without any trouble. Pyros' fate Pyros was defeated with the Tongue of Flame. He either died or lost all titanic power! How can he still be around? And imprisoned in the pentagram, for that matter? Technical shortcomings The Sentinel's head When you enter Skara Brae, the Sentinel’s head is stuck halfway in the sand - a portrait of devastation. But, wait a moment... the head is already stuck in the sand before the destruction, as you can see in the video shown on Terfin. Prophetic map Not surprisingly, Skara Brae looks already destroyed before the destruction on the map of Britannia. The Golden Ankh The Golden Ankh doesn't appear, despite being mentioned. Codex lenses Three things have gone wrong with the Codex lenses: The lenses have always been round, were much larger, and the Gargoyle lens should actually be purple, not red. Malchir's appearance How did the robed wizard from Ultima VIII become a fat bald pirate? Space plants Isn’t it strange that the destroyed Shrine of Spirituality is covered with plants in the void? Stone Guardians Much has gone wrong with the “Stone Guardians” at the Shrine of Codex. First, they look in the wrong direction, second, they are a bit too small, third, they just look like lifeless gray Gargoyles. Skara Brae docks The docks should have been completely destroyed by the Guardian's fire wave. Missing pyramid Shouldn’t we see the pyramid in the video of Skara Brae’s destruction? Not so slippy-slidey ice world The icy platforms in the Plane of Air aren’t slippery. Response: Technically, ice on its own isn't slippery. It only becomes slippery from the thin coat of water created as it melts. This is probably some sort of non-melting ice, and so wouldn't be slippery. Mathis' mines The mines Mathis mentions appear to have been laid to waste just recently, and there are even still some Goblins around. Mathis tells you the Goblins would not have attacked if he had stolen the totem from a nearby Goblin camp. Problem: There is not a single Goblin camp in that area. The next camp is far to the south, and there’s no reason the Goblins from there would have been interested in attacking the mines, as Yew was much closer. General problems Unobservant neighbors Has nobody in Trinsic, Paws or Moonglow noticed the destruction of Skara Brae? What is the Sentinel Who or what is actually that Sentinel? Shamino and Malchir From where does Shamino know Malchir? Hypocrisy In the Netherworld, the Avatar tells Calan that stealing is evil every time and everywhere. A few minutes later, he talks Mathis into believing that he should have stolen the Goblins’ totem. The meaning of Love I really never got why picking up a baby (or a baby doll possessed with a baby’s spirit) from ten meters away is related to the principle of Love. Isle of the Avatar's visibility So, is the Isle of the Avatar invisible or is it not? A few dialogues in the game or in the journal would suggest that. But first, Lord British has no trouble getting there, and later on, Raven doesn’t seem to have problems navigating to the isle either. To make things even worse, the isle is shown on the Britannia map, which is available everywhere. Book of Truth In the Netherworld, the Avatar writes into his journal where the Book of Truth can be found. I actually thought that to this point, you already consulted the Book of Truth long ago... Raven's sudden knowledge When you meet Raven after the short trip into the Abyss, it seems she already knows everything - but from where? The Avatar left the Abyss before Lord British, didn’t he? Blackthorn and the Codex Why does Blackthorn always carry the Codex with him? And isn’t it very careless to take it into the Abyss, where his nemesis Lord British could grab it? Perhaps the reason for Blackthorn to carry the Codex with him all the time is that he doesn’t trust anyone, not even the Guardian. It might be also be possible that the Guardian isn’t interested in the Codex at all. Is the Avatar even necessary? Why does the Avatar have to travel down the Abyss just to watch Lord British throwing lightning flares and fireballs and to grab the glyph afterwards? NPCs have it easy How did Blackthorn and Lord British get to the bottom of the Abyss without fighting their way through all those traps and elemental planes? Columns cross planes It is a bit strange that the Shrine of Spirituality was affected although the responsible Column isn’t in the ethereal void. The people and the shrine If the people in Skara Brae aren’t affected by the Column, then why is the shrine destroyed? Avatar's bad memory When the Avatar arrives at his isle, he wonders why Lord British is there, despite having just learned a few minutes ago that Lord British planned to descend into the Abyss and fight Blackthorn. Ankhless entry How did Shamino actually get into the Netherworld? After all, you need the ankh to enter the Well of Souls. * Hacki's Ultima Nitpicks - hosted by Bootstrike Category:Ultima IX Nitpicks